Best marketing consultants in the world -Ask Google

Flash® on Google

2011-11-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

According to Google Insights for Search, which examines the past values for the terms you've entered, can be used to help you forecasts, and make predictions of future terms (keywords). As far back as April 2005 the terms "Flash on Google" have consistently grown in popularity from a mere 13% interest to 82% interest as of the date of this article. Predictions for searching these same terms is predicted to steadily increase.

In the categories of Computers & Electronics, the Flash® Platform is still on of the most powerful web development softwares in the market. Flash® allows for outstanding graphics, lifelike interaction –The Adobe® Flash® Player is a cross-platform, browser-based application runtime that provides uncompromised viewing of expressive applications, content, and videos across browsers, operating systems, Flash® on mobile devices – now leading the 3D to games on the web

Why then are there website developers and people in general still saying things like "Google can't read Flash," or "Flash® is not good for Search Engine Optimization," or "Flash® is too hard to update." The primary reason is, those website developers are not trained in Flash® development, HTML is easy to copy and resell as their own code, and lack of research on the topic.

The truth is Adobe® Flash® is not difficult for those well trained and experienced in Flash® website development. The most intuitive and creative websites use Flash® to offer visitors more options and interactivity than possible with basic or even advanced HTML / HTML5.

With Google holding 65.1% (9 billion out of 13.8 billion searches) of the U.S. search engine market, and the next closest Yahoo! holding just 16.1% (2.6 billion searches), it's very important that you know the truth about who can see or not see your website on Google.

So what is the truth about Flash® on Google? Flash® is just as, if not more visible and valuable to search optimization on Google. With proper Flash® website development, Google has the ability to drill into website built with Flash® software. No long-winded answers. Just the facts. Included in this article are recent screen captures that show Google search results for a small Flash® website built by an experienced Flash® website developer. Notice how the Google search results have extracted the website navigation button names, and keywords that attract visitors to the products being sold. Google has even captured a picture of the website homepage in full color, just as clear as any HTML website.

Making the most of QR Code technology

2011-08-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

More and more QR Codes are showing up. I have seen QR Code technology – on magazine advertisements, real estate signs, direct mail envelopes and postcards, brochures, t-shirts, business cards, restaurant table tents and window decals – just about everywhere so it seems. Today I even picked up a free key tag from a Dodge Dealership with the QR Code.

If you're clueless about what a QR Code is or how you can use the QR Code technology to beef-up you brand exposure, this may be your lucky day. The QR Code, short for "Quick Response" is a square image that can be printed on your marketing collateral. The image is not something you read with your eyes, but it is readable like a barcode that your smartphone can read. If you've been to Japan, this comes as no surprise - it's been used there for a long time and just now starting to make its way into mainstream marketing in the USA.

With smartphone use on the rise in the mobile market, popular brands are starting to take advantage of a better marketing mixture. According to Nielsen Wire, low-tech material (mailers, newspapers, printed material in-store) still has the most popular consumer reach – Adding QR Codes connects low-tech with the latest technology.

Consumers are now learning that they can download a free QR Code Reader app on Android or iPhone that will scan the QR Code to uncover special messages, discounts, websites, telephone numbers, social media links, events dates, email messages, contact details, and much more. Add this to the smartphone web browser and you've just added a unique voice to your brand message.

So where can you get your QR Code? Search Google for "QR Code Generator" and you'll have your share of websites that allow you to create you own QR Code in about 5 minutes. I like QR Stuff, a Free Online QR Code Creator and Encoder for T-Shirts, Business Cards and Stickers. I've added a few pictures I've captured from various businesses using this new bar code technology.

How to expose your brand on Facebook.

2011-08-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

"There are good sides to Facebook, but the media likes to report things that make people worry or things that cannot be imagined by a majority of people - That's how you get people to act." - Head Honcho, Oevae Marketing Consultants

Facebook Insights Screen Shot | Increased Brand Exposure with an 191% Comments Increase.

I heard the former database developer at Facebook, Joe Hewitt say something about many of the Facebook users were actually repeat customers – some people created Facebook accounts, then cancelled sometime after using the account. A period of time passed and the same customer actually returns to the Facebook world to create a new account.

This is not really all that surprising when compared to your favorite highway or neighborhood. There will be a time when your highway to your BFF is jammed like a party at Charlie Sheen's crib. God forbid one day, what you knew as your favorite neighborhood is featured on Datline To Catch A Predator – with what smells like a heatwave of pedophilia. Although these are facts of America, you will return again to your favorite highway and drive around the local predator's street to get to your friends house – You don't really score any points if you run over the fool, when you see him in the street anyway!

So Facebook is no different of course because it was developed by several of the smartest humans in the United States of America. However being "human" we can rest assured that there will be mistakes. Few maybe, but it is surely inevitable. For this is the reason for planning. If we were all perfect, why would we need plans. All things would be successful. Sounds pretty boring actually. This would kill AFV (Americas Funniest Videos), yet one could be perfectly rude - maybe that's comedy?

Anyway! Don't believe the hype. As a small business owner, you will have companies flocking to you, trying to get your business. There will be credit card offers, stamp machine offers, free business card, banner and sign companies just to name a few. After you have sorted through what hit your mailbox outside, then you have your email inbox with the same hype! I'm not talking about this stuff. I'm talking about Facebook branding.

Many companies use Facebook as a place to add large brand graphics on the Facebook wall. Sometimes these graphics will be part of a contest or news and deals like Nike Sneaker News. or Nike Skateboarding Fan Page. When you land on these pages, you instantly have the opportunity to resonate and evoke emotions with the viewer. It's the first few seconds where we have to make snap decisions. Like, when you are on the highway, you make a snap decision when you think about the exit you need to take to save time, or make a snap decision when you are telling your friend how to get to the neighborhood where you life, you shout out a landmark or two or snap your fingers a few times before you remember the street they need to turn on to get to your house.

In a nutshell, Facebook for business can be a good thing if you want to increase your exposure and show people what you have, or what you can do. The media often talks about people "exposing" themselves in all the wrong ways just to get your attention.

A New Dimension in Collaboration

2011-03-07T09:56:00.000-08:00

Small Business Owners must share important documents, photographs, and graphics files in the daily grind of business operations in order to keep "doing business."

If you have a small office or work from your home office, the documents you share are just as important to you, as are the documents to the Head Honcho in the high-rise downtown or in the Google Headquarters‬.

Here's the simple way to stay in control of your important files. It's the Online File Folder with the Shared Folders option.

When you need logo files to send to your printer or graphic designer. You've got them. When you have 100's of photographs you need to keep handy for press or brochures designs. You can provide them. When the video files you don't want you put on YouTube need a home. You have one. When your Office Docs for business transactions and contracts need to be saved but there when you need them. You're ready! Whatever you particular business situation, like Public Storage; you need a place to store your company files and gain access or share at a moments notice.
With Online File folder you can store your files and have access wherever you have an Internet connection. Sharing files is secure and simple too. There are three easy ways small business owners can create Shared Folders for the items you want to share and collaborate with printers, graphic designers, website marketing company, business partners, or whomever you invite – A New Dimension in Collaboration for under $20 dollars a year. Winning!

You want the Online File Folder with the Shared Folder options to get on-the-go access to any file, transfer files with drag and drop functionality, and automatically back up mission-critical files.

Head Honcho, at Oevae Marketing Consultants – the best marketing consultants in the world, ask Google

@oevae

SXSW: Be there because you're square!

2011-02-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

I had a contact in the mobile app dev business ask me yesterday, February 1, what my thoughts were on his company attending South by Southwest (SXSW). SXSW, if you're not familiar with it, started in 1987 as a music conference. A place for bands from all over the world could come, play, share and connect in hopes of being discovered as the next big thing. Remember, back in 1987, you had to have a record contract to make it. I grew up in Michigan and first read about SXSW in Rolling Stone sitting in my college apartment in 1992. It sounded almost mythical to travel to Austin to see all these great up and coming bands. I dreamt about the energy and hoped to one day attend.

SXSW demographics has evolved over the last 24 years to include a film festival and interactive component. I finally got to attend for the first time in 2006 while working for Rackspace. Even then, the vibe was very innovative, but I don't think anyone realized how fast technology was going to change over the next 5 years. I mean, was I even texting back then? If I was, it was on a Motorola RAZR. Yikes!

In the interactive space, SXSW has become a must attend event. It's become the place where apps are launched, and apps fail. Remember last year's battle between Gowalla and Foursquare to see who was going to garner a greater share of the location-based app pie? It's where everyone tweets all week complaining about AT&T's lack of coverage in the Convention Center - it'll be fun to see Verizon maybe take some of the heat this year. ;) Thought leaders and some of the most creative people in the world bring a wealth of knowledge and insight over the course of 10 days. It's definitely not to be missed if you're an early adopter, an innovator or just curious to see what the next big trends are going to be.

SXSW® Interactive features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders, the incredible new SXSW Trade Show and an unbeatable lineup of special programs showcasing the best new digital works, video games and innovative ideas the international community has to offer.

Join us for the most energetic, inspiring and creative event of the year, taking place March 11-15, 2011 in Austin, Texas.

@jduman

Reference
SXSW YouTube
Adobe Events South x Southwest Interactive

Super Bowl Commercial Coverage XLV

2011-02-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

Pre-game: It's not even kick off and the first thing that has surprised me were ads from Groupon – with Cuba Gooding, Jr. as spokesman – and LivingSocial. A category I wasn't expecting to see on the Super Bowl, yet.

National Anthem: Way to go Christina Aguilera. Next time, learn the words. Kthnx. And seriously, Jerry World? You have the most spectacular stadium in quite possibly the world, but you have just a miniscule flag hanging from the ceiling? Disappointing.

1st Commercial Break: BudLight, Doritos, Audi. BudLight's take on home improvement shows was weak at best. Doritos was kind of cute, but maybe because White Dog is a total Dorito addict. Neither seemed Super Bowl-worthy. Audi wins. Large scale production, sexy car, and they even got Kenny G for the ad.

2nd Commercial Break: Doritos, Chevy Cruze, PepsiMax."mmm cheese" totally grossed me out! Chevy at the retirement home? Lame. PepsiMax was cheeky, but I was more surprised as the buzz around town had been that Pepsi was not spending any money on Super Bowl and had funneled those dollars towards social media presence. The buzz was wrong.

3rd Commercial Break: BudLight, Chevy Silverado, The Fast and The Furious 5, FOX promotion. Product placement ad. Silly, not awesome. Tommy got stuck in a well by Chevy Silverado totally tickled my funny bone. I had no idea that Vin Diesel still had a career. Welcome back, Vin.

Packers TD. 7-0.

4th Commercial Break: PepsiMax, Doritos, Hyundai, FOX promotion, NFL Draft promo. The The Doritos "reincarnation" ad was clever. PepsiMax ad was insignificant as was Hyundai. I know it's still the first quarter, but this was a disappointing break.

5th Commercial Break: Cowboys & Aliens, Kia, FOX promotion. Lots of special effects during that break. Cowboys & Aliens looks interesting enough I'll IMDB it to learn more. The Kia ad was impressive, for Kia. However, I think the special effects outdid the actual message.

Packers TD 14-0.

6th Commercial Break: Lipton Brisk with Eminem. Haven't I seen that one before? Still anxiously awaiting the 2:00 Chrysler/Em ad that's coming up later in the game...

End of 1st Quarter

7th Commercial Break: Bridgestone, Chevy Volt, Go Daddy, FOX promotion, Mazda3. The Bridgestone ad was funny, but had nothing to do with tires. Chevy Volt was fun, but not earth shattering. Go Daddy, I'm still wondering what you were thinking by signing Jillian Michaels as your most recent "face". This Joan Rivers ad wasn't all that. Mazda3 was an old ad from their current campaign.

Steelers FG. 14-3.

8th Break: Budweiser, Teleflora, Transformers III. Budweiser "Tiny Dancer" ad was funny, but not great. I wonder why Teleflora even wasted the money on Faith Hill for that ad? Transformers III is just the typical Hollywood big budget blockbuster special effects machine. Boring...

9th Break: BMW, Motorola Xoom Tablet, BMW Diesel. The first BMW ad was good at establishing that they're producing cars in America and was definitely more of a goodwill "buy us" message than anything else. The Motorola Xoom ad was extremely well done, but I fear will be too subtle for many to get. The visuals of the masses connected to their ear buds was a nice mock of the Apple culture (of which I'm fairly well embedded in). Well done, cool messaging, and Android is already the most popular mobile OS. BMW diesel was funny. Nice imagery to get Americans to rethink diesel technology.

10th Break: Coca-Cola, Thor, VW. The Chinese New Year imagery in the Coca-Cola ad threw me. It was big and the type of ad one expects from Coca-Cola, but it was too CGI for my taste. Thor didn't really stand out for me. The VW ad, I had previewed earlier in the week. As an 8-year VW owner (2000-2008), I can assure you my keyless entry fob never worked from further than 6 feet away from my vehicle, so unless they've updated their fob technology, this ad is fiction. It's still cute though and definitely speaks to my generation sharing one of the favorite movies of our childhood with the next generation.

11th Break: Snickers, CareerBuilder.com, Super 8. It was really satisfying to see Roseanne flattened by that massive log, but I still like last year's version with Aretha Franklin. I'm happy to see that CareerBuilder.com is keeping the continuity by continuing to use the chimps in their strategy, but this wasn't their best ad IMO. Super 8 looks interesting. Another one that I'll check out on IMDB and see if it's something I might be interested in seeing when it hits the theater.

Packers TD. 21-3.

12th Break: Chevy Cruze, Captain America, Castrol Edge, Carmax, FOX promotion. OnStar reading real-time Facebook status updates to you while you're driving seems obsessive even for me. Captain America looks interesting. Love the period hair and fashion. Castrol Edge doing a best play of the play-offs ad seems like a waste of money. Carmax's "I feel like a..." was cute and well done, but bordered on going on a little long.

Steelers TD. 21-10.

After the game ends all ads will be available on Foxsports.com/ads.

(Fig. 1 Chart: Percent Lift in Shares from the Super Bowl - Comparing the day of and the day before the game.)

Half-time begins.

Break 13: FOX promotion. I love Katy Perry probably more than the average person my age, but "Firework" is getting *way* overplayed. Xperia Play, On the Border, AT&T Wireless, Reliant Energy, FOX promotion. Xperia Play ad was creepy, but effective. The stitches were overdone, but I'll remember it. On the Border didn't do anything special for the event. AT&T network ad of dad away on business reading a bedtime story to his son on his tablet was cute. Reliant Energy/Troy Aikman ads are weak and played out.

Break 14: FOX promotion, Sonic, FOX promotion, Salesforce/Chatter.com. Sonic used a canned ad. The Salesforce/Chatter ad seemed irrelevant in this forum. I've used both and I still didn't get what they were trying to convey.

Half-time show: Black Eyed Peas meet Tron: Legacy...hmm. There seems to be issues with the sound. Dallas is looking worse and worse. Between the weather fiasco and now something as basic as the sound isn't working? PR nightmare.

Break 15: Salesforce/Chatter.com, FOX promotion, Chase, Mazda3, AT&T Wireless, Chick-fil-a, FOX promotion, The Daily Tablet "newspaper". The second Salesforce/Chatter ad was even less coherent than the first. I hope they got those as added value from the Black Eyed Peas being the half-time show. Chase, taking a pic of a check to deposit it to my account rocks! If BofA keeps pissing me off, I may move to you. Mazda3 was the same ad from the 1st quarter. AT&T and Chick-fil-a were old ads. The Daily is a good idea. It's the only thing that's going to save news journalists as the printed paper continues to die a slow death.

Break 16: NFL.com on Verizon, FOX promotion, SPEED promotion, FOX promotion. Nothing of note in this break.

Third quarter.

Break 17: Cars.com, E*Trade, Best Buy, FOX promotions. Cars.com was OK, not super. The E*Trade "baby" ads have never done anything for me, but Michael giggled, so I guess it was effective on some level. At least they've been consistent with their campaign. The Best Buy ad was interesting, but I would have rather gotten more information on their Buy Back program rather than most of the ad focusing on Ozzy and Beiber. I really hate when companies spend a bunch of money on a celebrity for the ad and then don't utilize them in a way that adds value to the brand and communication.

Steelers TD. 21-17.

Break 18: We're into 3rd Q. Things should start getting good! Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Mini Cooper, HomeAway.com. Pirates 4 doesn't really look any different than the first three. Cram it in the Boot cracked me up. Perfect amount of innuendo. HomeAway.com was clever and memorable.

Break 19: Hyundai, Groupon, Coca-Cola. The Hyundai kaleidoscope ad was visually interesting. And I always love Jeff Bridges voiceovers on those. The dude abides! And then, Wow! Timothy Hutton as well for Groupon. Spend that $ that you didn't take from Google, boys! I'm interested to see if this becomes a game changer in the category. The Coca-Cola border patrol ad qualified for the Doner "Head, Heart & Funny Bone" award. So far, one of my faves.

Break 20: Stella Artois, Carmax, FOX promotion. Adrien Brody singing for Stella Artois? Again, another situation of a big name celeb wasted. The Carmax ad was funny, but it was incoherent. There was no explanation as to why the guy seemed to "time travel" to a full service gas station.

Break 21: Chrysler. The Chrysler/Eminem ad I'd been waiting for. I've never been a big Chrysler fan even though my dad did tons of work for them and I had other family that worked there as well. I'm a little disappointed to see this alignment, but this will probably end up as my favorite ad of the night. It felt good to see home portrayed in a positive light, the Fox Theatre looked amazing, I loved the background riff of "Lose Yourself", I just wish he'd gotten down with the gospel choir.

End of Q3

Break 22: NFL, Jack in the Box, AT&T Wireless, Reliant Energy, Local FOX promotion. The NFL ad was cute, but I would've enjoyed it more without the Photoshopped team memorabilia on everyone. The Jack in the Box ad was cute, but nothing super special. I'm proud of you AT&T Wireless. Thank you for getting an ad out there letting Verizon users know that they won't be able to talk and use data on their phones at the same time. I saw this ad during the pre-game coverage and as soon as I saw the phone ring, I had high hopes of where you were going. Well done! Reliant Energy repeat from half-time. I didn't like it more this time around.

Packers TD. 28-17.

Break 23: Rango, Cars.com, BudLight, FOX promotion. Rango trailer ad that's been running for a few weeks now. Cars.com ad where the cars have personalities and are reading reviews on each other. Cute, but a Cars (the toon movie) knock off. BudLight, haven't you done the dogs playing poker thing before?

Break 24: Hyundai, PepsiMax, Rio. The Sonata hybrid ad was cool. The guy with the headphones and the turntable walking down the street made me laugh. This PepsiMax ad was my favorite of the theirs so far. Loved the contrast of inner dialog between a man and woman on first date. Rio is another animated flick. How many of those are coming out soon? Oy!

Steelers TD. 28-25.

Break 25: Bridgestone, GoDaddy, VW, FOX promotion. The beaver that saved the guy was cute in the Bridgestone ad. I'm getting really tired of GoDaddy doing the "to be continued on our website" in all of their ads. Are teenage boys really buying that much hosting and domain names? If not, knock it off and grow up as a brand! "Black Betty" is one of my favorite songs, so the VW next gen Beetle ad engaged me immediately. I'm interested to see what the actual vehicle will look like.

Break 26: Mercedes Benz, FOX promotion, FOX promotion, NFL Draft promotion. Mercedes, Diddy in his robe looking for his car was the best you could do? That ad would have been effective without him. Brands, seriously, go with your gut and stop wasting money on celebrities that don't bring anything to the message! There was a FOX promotional spot for House during this break that was a rip-off of the old Coca-Cola Mean Joe Greene ad that was inappropriately funny. House tossed his cane at the kid, the kid wasn't expecting it and got clocked in the head.

Packers FG. 31-25.

Break 27: Chevy Camaro, Verizon/iPhone. The Camaro ad with two young male creatives talking through an ad concept. Silly, not Super Bowl-worthy. The Verizon/iPhone ad is deceiving IMO, but that's because I'm smarter than the average consumer when it comes to understanding wireless and data networks. I can't wait until they actually launch their version of the iPhone and there are worse issues than have been experienced by AT&T users.

Break 28: Chevy Cruze/Glee promotion, Limitless, Skechers Shape-ups, FOX promotion, FOX promotion, FOX promotion. The Chevy/Glee promo is a hype for the Glee telecast after the game. Limitless is a movie coming out later in the spring with Robert DeNiro and Bradley Cooper. The Skechers Shape-ups ad with Kim Kardashian was slightly engaging, however I doubt her gargantuan ass is a result of her wearing Shape-ups.

Game over. Pack wins. No huge stand out ads. I think the Super Bowl has jumped the shark as being the end all event for advertisers. It will be interesting to see if ad rates begin to fall in coming years.

Nielsen News, Sports, Super Bowl XLV Most Viewed Telecast in Broadcast History
Super Bowl XLV Draws Record Audience

Cricket's helps young customers go legit

2011-02-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

Cricket's typical customer is young, loves music, and often doesn't have a PC, said Jeff Toig, Cricket's vice president of product marketing. Many existing Cricket customers download their music through illegal file-sharing systems on library or school computers so they can listen to it on portable devices, Toig said. Muve helps them go legit. – PCMAG.COM

Cricket Wireless announced at the end of December 2010 - a new music service that offers unlimited music downloads, along with unlimited calling, texting, e-mail and Web access for only $55 per month. The Muve service and Suede phone will be available this January. Cricket, the nation's seventh largest wireless carrier, serves about 5 million people in 35 states.

Consultant Shares Mojo Behind Website Facelift

2010-11-12T05:40:00.000-08:00

The popularity of creating a dot com for your business has evolved to many websites in need of a facelift. The website facelift, like the human facelift (rhytidectomy) is a procedure used to make your website look more appealing by removing old programming and design wrinkles and enhance graphics with or without losing your brand recognition.

The website facelift is the role of your marketing consultant and brand manager or creative director. It's also a good idea to run your plans by the business owner before you start tinkering around with the brands image.

"If you are the business owner, you know how important it is that your businesses image reek with honesty, credibility, value, and intrigue. When you first had your website built, much like the date you were born - everything was beautiful. But as the years have past, much has changed on the outside and the inside - the same can be true for older websites"

The website that brought you new customers just 3 years ago, may be running out of steam as new points of distribution are created and innovative technologies (Twitter, Facebook, Wordpress, Digg, orkut, befo, Netlog, Flash, iPhone apps, Android, etc.) become more mainstream - many innovations may not integrate well with your website graphics, programming language, and marketing of your current website. So, how do you get your website's mojo back?

Fig. 1 (Dustcollectorco.com - Before Website Facelift)

Fig. 2 (Blastequipmentco.com - Before Website Facelift)

You might need a website facelift if your website looks like Dustcollectorco.com or Blastequuipmentco.com (Fig. 1 or Fig. 2). These websites were built more than 4 years ago. Though they both have great content, they both are very heavy in the text department. This text is valuable, however the way it is delivered needs to be updated and bring take advantage of some new innovations.

The steps you take can very like the wind, but there is a course of action that leads to a new website you can again be proud to own. There are 3 basic steps that business owner's can take:

Look at your competition; visits websites that "you" would feel confident if they represented your companies brand, mood, and appeal.
Ask the professionals to examine your website; locate a website designer and Internet marketing consultant.
Make a decision; let go of what has stopped working and promote your brand.

Like the human facelife, the website facelift may have a bit of discomfort in the first few weeks as you get use to the new look of your business. Sometimes there are new technologies related to how you manage your email or how your website content is updated, but many new advancements and innovations make owning and operations of your small business more manageable than just 3 years ago.

Fig. 3 (Dustcollectorco.com and Blastequipmentco.com combined into 1 Flash website with updated brand)

In Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, you see the first screenshots from the recent re-launch of Dustcollectorco.com and Blastequipmentco.com websites after the webiste facelift. In this case, our client took our suggestion to combine 2 older websites into 1 micro website. The website facelift brought a new logo design, new programming language and a rich user experience. Like a new baby, there will be growth and enhancements in the months and years to come, but now the client has a website (business storefront) that "reeks with honesty, credibility, value, and intrigue..." – now the website is more marketable and stands out among the competition. So when the opportunity exists, the first impression appeals to visitors.

Fig. 4 (After Website Facelift with Flash animation and enhanced layout to increase visitor experience)

Fig. 5 (After Website Facelift with advanced navigation and Flash animation to free user ability browse website)

Small business owners can benefit buy using advance experience software like Adobe Flash for websites. Although Flash has not made it to the tiny screen (mobile) just yet, Google has made it clear that significant strides in the ability of Google's search engines to index Flash content. This makes Flash an even brighter solution for your website design than anytime in dot com history because Google and Adobe have a growing relationship.

Get your website mojo back with a website facelift by Oevae Marketing Consultants, "the best marketing consultants in the world" – ask Google.

Make a brand difference.

Reference
Envirosystems Group
Oevae Marketing Consultants
Official Google Webmaster Central Blog

Express Yourself - Boost your brand over leading brands

2010-11-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

To boost your brand over a leading brand is no easy task, but it is possible. And, unless you are drenched in connections, you really haven't a clue what move the leading brands are planning to do next. You can look at a companies history and wonder how a Kinko's Copy turned into FedEx Office (with Kinko's Inside sign on the door). You still hear the work "Kinko's" on television because the experience Kinko's offered was very unique, genuine, and provided what you need, whenever you needed it - kinda like having toilet paper in the bathroom - Kinko's was the Shizznit!

Somehow Kinko's lost the way into billions of dollars on an assorted bath of ownerships, partnerships, mergers and whatever else keeps the CFO smiling. That said, to have a successful brand (growing, evolving, loved) you should really stop depending on the leading brands to shape your road to success. This is especially true for the small business owner because you will not have the capital to zig when you see the leading brand zig. Instead you will be in zag and freezing cold in the "What's Hot" department.

"Stop following the leader; start spending your time with pad and pencil. Yes, this is similar to vinyl records, when compared to today's mytouch-blackberry-latte-mocha generation, but the time will allow you to uncover or rediscover your brands the unique qualities."
kinko's gave away kinkoid co-workers inside a ballpoint pen (above) to build brand recognition

I had the unique opportunity to sit in a small round table discussion with the founder of Kinko's, Paul Orfalea. We were there to discuss the reasons behind Kinko's success and what to do next. Mr. Orfalea clearly defined in just a few words, how the Kinko's brand started and where it was going. It's a remarkable story to listen to and ask questions about firsthand like I did. But over the years Kinko's has taken some fascinating moves in technology. You could say Kinko's would zig while others would zag. Other companies like Copymax tried to take a larger slice of Kinko's pie but they couldn't because Kinko's had crossed over to the viral. Even the 1999 movie Office Space mentions Kinko's. Who can compete with this type of branding? It's the same when you ask for a Kleenex, now knowing that you're really using a Puffs.

The name Kinko's name came from the founder's curly (kinky/kinkos) hair, the services arrived from the founder's basic needs as a college student and provided solutions for Paul Orfalea's disabilities (Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Boost (boast) your brands unique qualities and do not mimic those of the leading brands – don't follow the leading brands – it's far easier to be yourself than trying to be something you're not.

Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultant, the best marketing consultants in the world – ask Google.

Is iPhone or Android better for Mobile Advertising

2010-10-01T16:03:00.000-07:00

How Popular is the iPhone Anyway is a great article to read for anyone that uses a mobile phone. Especially if you are into small business marketing and research. Small business owners can use this graphic from BillShrink.com to be more informed about global mobile phone use.

9 Ways to get motivated for business?

2010-09-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

I recently opened our company mailbox to find direct mail from Get Motivated Seminars of Tampa, FL.

Get Motivated is a business seminar touring the country with an all star cast of speakers - all in person - live; 9 ways to get motivated to do business:

1. Zig Ziglar (How to Motivated)

2. Gen. Colin Powell (Take-Charge Leadership)

3. Laura Bush (Keys to Stability in Uncertain Times)

4. Dr. Robert Schuller (Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do)

5. Rudy Giuliani (The Tenacity to Perservere: How to Make it Through Any Crisis)

6. Terry Bradshaw (How to Lead Your Team to Victory)

7. Steve Forbes (America's Promise: Your Keys to Growth & Opportunity)

8. Emmit Smith (How to Sharpen Your Competitive Edge)

9. Troy Aikman (What it Takes to Be a Winner)

You are sure to be inspired by one or more of the Get Motivated speakers - like a can of mixed nuts, you can grab a handful of knowledge and leave what you don't want.

Keep your eye on the mail if the seminar is coming to a town near you, because this direct mailer allows you to purchase the tickets at the special promotion price of only $1.95 (yep, less than two dollars) which it also says you must call immediately to take advantage of this very limited time offer. You'll want to call or mail order your tickets, becuse if you buy them at the Get Motivated website or $225.00 at the door - How's that motivation - an arm-and-a-leg at the door.

Some of the media quotes...

"...Brainstorming feel-good tour de force." - Wall Street Journal

"...Higher levels of business performance." - The New York Times

There's even a special to take your entire office for under $20.

If you attend the Get Motivated seminar, let me if it motivated you and how?

Best name to use for your business

2010-04-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

The name of your business is found in what you do best. Starting a lawn service? So are a bunch of othe folks. Who cares? The best name you should use for your business has nothing to do with the other folks doing the same thing as you, that is to say if you consider them the same as you. If this is true you might consider joining the other folks... take your ideas and your goals that way!

If you consider that your brand is not like the other folks and you do something that you know people need but you have twist. Read on.

The best name you can use for your business can be really easy to find, but just because you like it, the people who read it may not. Take for examply the word Oy Vey. This is a yiddish word used now by actors, celebrities, and most anyone who knows what the word means and it may in fact be a part of your heritage... you use the word to replace "oh my goodness!" or "Oh no!" in general. You really wouldn't name your company that. Not unless it was the core to what you do best!

Oy Vey - the word is the name of my marketing firm because our creative is just that. The word, when said describes what our clients like best about my firm. The clients say that they are overcome with our imagination and creative... where even sometimes over-the-top and could use a chill pill. All in all the clients either really like our work or the say "Oh no."

Oevae Marketing Consultants - which sounds like Oy Vey Marketing Consultants is a fun name that peeks at imagination, creativity, seriousness, and heritage. All the things you want from a solid marketing firm. It is not an offensive name. It means as much as Apple is to iPOD. This is the core relationship your business name should mimic in structre. Think of the movie IRON MAN. Why not GOLD MAN? Gold is what you want to have and it has great value, right? It is if you are starting Cash For Gold business, but not if you need protection. Then you want iron. Who would win the fight? IRON MAN or GOLD MAN and which is easier to replace. My thougt is you are starting to understand how to name your business.

If i'm correct you understand that you need to think about your clients and how you will communicate why XYZ is the best business for them and not the other folks?

When I began to talk to folks about Oevae ten years ago, I knew my conversations would not be long so I had to get right to the punch-line and make sure it brought them joy. Oevae was a word that described me - I am the core of my business. I make the creative. Even my business card has my title as Head Honcho. So I call the shots - some great and some not so great.

If you need more thought or you want help marketing your business send marketing questions to answers@oevae.com or please follow me @oevae on Twitter. You could also follow this blog and stop trying to be a Super Hero. I'm here, because sometimes all you need is a little help.

Gibron T. Williams is the Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultants, the best marketing consultants in the USA - ask Google

Google developed an algorithm that explores Flash files long ago!

2010-02-08T22:26:00.000-08:00

There's been much conversation –clients, New York Times Technology, Bloomberg, Charlie Rose– about Apple's ipad, HTML5, and Flash Websites. If your knowledge of what's been going on behind the monitor and on the Internet... Let me help you read between the lines in a good way. Here it is. A bit of truth showing-off how quickly Google can index websites designed with Adobe Flash... if and when designed and programed by the creative marketing firm Oevae Marketing Consultants, Texas

"This article will show you 2 very simple examples of how keywords are used to index your website with search engines like Google."

-Head Honcho, Oevae Marketing Consultants

Screen Shot #1 (click images to increase aspect ratio)
Here we have a Google search for the works "ka yeung crow collection"
Note the green highlight is the website we are searching for and there it is on the first page of Google.

Screen Shot #2 (click images to increase aspect ratio)
Here we have page that is indexed by Google and the page with the information the client published.
Note the News contains the keywords "ka yeung crow collection"

The destination page or Screen Shot #2 is a page that contains 80% Flash programming and is 100% SEO
friendly. Oevae Marketing Consultants offers you a way to express your products, services, and brand in very special and your way. This proves Flash can be used in artistic ways and still get noticed the Google algorithm that explores Flash websites.

Here are a few questions better answered by the G's at Google at the Official Google Webmasters Central Blog

Oevae.com – The best marketing consultants in the world offer you more imagination at the core of creative. Sometimes you just need a little help or let me know your experiences with Flash and Search Engine Optimization.

Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultants, the best marketing consultants in the world - Ask Google.

Ref.
Website design by Oevae Marketing Consultants Screen Shot #1 and Screen Shot #2 - tinkerboxstudio - ka yeung studio, Dallas Texas

What is Demographically Correct Advertising?

2010-01-23T17:18:00.000-08:00

The brain child of directors Coodie & Chike and media mogul Dame Dash.
A cutting edge online content label based upon the fundamental idea of maintaining creative control over all content and production from programming to advertising.

Providing a new alternative to television with its online viewing platform and engaging content to unite our demographic through our communication and coverage of cutting edge fashion, music, and art.
True to its name, CREATIVE CONTROL maintains a high standard of integrity in its programming, advertising, and campaigns.

CreativeControl.com

Marketing to customers with a phone number that lacks vanity

2009-09-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

I believe it's pretty common for companies to use telephone numbers that when the numbers are converted to letters actually spell words that cleverly help customers remember that phone number when needed. These types of telephone numbers are called vanity numbers or phonewords.

This article considers the fact that you are considering the use of your telephone phone number that DOES NOT have a hidden when translated (lacks vanity), but you want to use your telephone number to market your business.

So now you ask.
Where can you find examples of a partial word, an acronym, abbreviation, or an alphanumeric combination being used to increase memorability and increase response rates to marketing?

First you should know why so much vanity.
Many companies use these phone numbers on radio, television, print, outdoor, etc. as they are proven to increase response rates by 30-60%

So you know now that I'm talking about phone numbers like 1-800-FLOWERS or 1-800-BUSINESS or 1-800-CONTACTS... Okay... I think you've got this part down.

Now let's see how you can take your marketing to the next level. Maybe your phone number doesn't have to be so inflated pride in oneself at all.

Let's think about this a minute.
Vanity numbers or Phonewords came about before the cellular phone and the Internet. And users or marketers had radio, print advertising and word-of-mouth marketing to spread the phonewords with vanity (pun intended). Anyway, the point here is the points of contact with consumers was limited.

Here comes the whammy.
We have the Internet now and Cellular phones that do most of the connecting for us. So why not use your telephone number for your website address? Look, you may have worked or are working for a company now where half of your email address is the companies name. So?

So!
If you starting a business and everyone knows your cell phone number; use your cell phone number as your website address. Only make since. If your a Real Estate Agent with the name John and your phone number is 202-701-9393 (which has no vanity or phoneword), people would visit your website at: www.2027019393.com

Things that make you say humm?
Let's take it a step further. With regard to Realtor John... your email address would be: john@2027019393

And as normal.
Your still John now... and people call you at 202 701 9393

Where you going, there's more!
When anyone gives out your phone number, they are also dishing out your website address and part basically your email address at the same time. There are still situations where we write down information... like phone numbers and website addresses. It's also normal that you will only be able to find a small piece of paper to write on. Using your phone number as a catch-all, 3 amigo, you'll not need as big a scrap to scribe.

We only use letters (domain names) for website addresses because it makes it easier for humans to remember. However if you work very closely with clients like Real Estate Realtors, Insurance Agents, Personal Trainers, etc.; you could benefit from this marketing edge.

You may be asking, how will people I don't know find me if they don't know my phone number? The answer is; you will also register a domain name with words as normal. You could even mask your phone number url so when people go to it, the domain name with the words is displayed in the browser.

Example: you website address is www.2027019393.com but when people get your your website they would see the domain name with words that you also registered, let's say it's www.jrpremierproperties.com.

This is called masking... and there are no negative aspects to harm your website or the FCC. Just make sure you or your webguy or webgirl setup your masking properly and if you are forwarding to a different domain name... make sure you domain is set as 301 permanent redirect.
You've just learned how to use your telephone number to secure 3 points of contact and they are:

How to use a telephone number as your Email Address
How to use a telephone Number as your Web Site Domain Name with or without masking
How Telephone Numbers can be your Email, Website, Phone Number that all lead back to you.

This is Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultants and these are my opinions.
Find oevae marketing consultants on the first page of Google when you search for: the best marketing consultants or the best marketing consultants in the world

Do you need business cards or website first?

2009-09-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

Kadek Rudi - Tour Driver" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" height="180" width="240">Image by redteam via Flickr

This is a question I hear from time-to-time from small business owners and start-ups. You can actually have your cake and eat it too.

Here's how.
This article is for those of you who have some knowledge of conducting business using business cards without a website and the opposite - conducting business with a website and no business cards. Then there are those of you who need both.

Either is fine and useful in the right marketing arena. I've used a few questions and answers to help you see if you need business cards now that you have a website or if you need a website if doing business with cards already works.

I have a website but I don't have business cards. What can I do?
You can conduct business online without giving out a business card to get people to visit your website. Before you go out an have business cards designed and printed, look for websites that allow you to build online business listings, and offer you marketing tools to increase your business connections. Go to websites like MerchantCircle.com, Kudzu.com, Google Local Business Center, Yahoo Local Listing, Yellowpages.com, etc. These are just a very few so jump on the search engines and start listing your business online now.

People browse for local business reviews on every topic you can imagine. Choose the listing that best fits your business. Now go out and have at least 100 business card printed so you have another channel to drive traffic to your website. Best of all many of these business listings are free. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true. It probably is.

I have business cards. When should I get my website?
With the saturation of text messaging and email, it's very easy to pass along the phone number of your favorite salon to your friends. It takes about 1 minute. You can even send them the salon website address and name of your hair stylist if you want. So why do a business card design and printing for nothing? The truth is there are times when you don't have your cell phone or computer under your finger tips - or should I say you should think twice. A wedding is not a great place to do business, and being on your cell phone is even worse. So if you choose the lesser of the two; go with the business card pass over texting your business info. Since you have a channel for telling people about your business with your business card, now is the time you can add a website address to your business card.

You can gain information by having a simple form on your website, update potential clients on new offers or innovations in your industry. Your website can help you tell people about the benefit of conducting business with your company. Your web site need not be more then 1 or 2 pages to add value to your brand.

It's perfectly fine to conduct business when you have business cards but no website. Keep in mind that a website will offer your company additional exposure and potential for winning new customers. So it's really up to you when and if you want to turn up the volume. Take it one day at a time and make your best educated decision after your research.

I have a website. Why do I need business cards anyway?
Business cards are a great way to advertise and market your business or push more people to your website. They can help you give people a glimpse of what your business can do. You can start building your brands mood with different colors and images that represent or backup what you have just vocalized. The business card can be passed from one recipient to a third party. Most importantly the business card allows you more opportunity to give something physical and they are a powerful way to increase referrals to your small business.

The best answer in my opinion is to go ahead and knock-out both at the same time.
Have business cards printed and your website design at the same time – if at all possible. If you receive your business cards first, don't hold back on handing out your cards if you website is not finished. You may be thinking that potential customers will go to your website and see a big-fat goose egg, zero, nothing, nada, zilch, zip. To keep this from happening, tell your web guy to add a small statement to your website about your company that tells visitors how to communicate with you while your site is being "updated." Never say "under construction." Nobody wants to hear that there dinner is almost ready and that's what "under construction" sounds like. Additionally, your visitors will be hungry for information (main purpose of the Internet anyway) and you need to at least give them a nibble. Chick-Fil A does a great job at sampling. Take note and use the same principle.

This is Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultants and these are my opinions.

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What do Tags mean to your website?

2009-09-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

The first thing Google tells you about meta Tags is that Google does not use the keywords meta tag in web ranking. So this article is more at understanding Tags and crafting Tags for your website in a way that will help your website communicate better with the search engines so people can find your website faster and with less effort in doing so.

So that you don't read my entire soapbox yet guide to generating great tags; here's the list of topics I will cover:

Proper Title Tags, Proper Description Tags, Proper Keywords Tags, Proper Heading Tags, Page Content, Duplicate Content/Tags, Word Density, and end with Web Site Analysis.

If this all sounds like a foreign language to you. Don't bug out yet. You should at least familiarize yourself with these topics as a small business owner. These topics are very important aspects of website development that make you or make it very hard for you to have the positive results desire.

So grab a cold beverage and about 20 minutes to refresh your knowledge about Tags, learn something you didn't know about tags, or make sure you know what you're talking about when it comes to Tags and your website.

Here you go.

Well-constructed Title Tags
Well-constructed title tags contain the main keyword for the page, followed by a brief description of the page content. It will be less than 65 characters and avoid using stop words such as: a, if, the, then, and, an, to, etc. Your title tag should also be limited to the use of alphanumeric characters, hyphens, and commas.

Good Description Tags
Good description tags contain information about the page's content and persuade search engine users to visit your web site. They should be between 25 and 35 words in length.

Proper Keywords Tags
Proper keywords meta tag should contain between 5-10 keywords or keyword phrases that are also found in page content.

Proper Heading Tags
Each page of your site should use at least the H1 heading tag for the search engines that examine it when crawling your site.st the H1 heading tag for the search engines that examine it when crawling your site.

Duplicate Content/Tags
Because search engines treat web sites as a grouping of pages and not a single entity, each page on your site should be unique so that the tags and content differ between each page. Doing so increases the number of pages that will rank.

Word Density
Pages should contain 300 to 700 words of unique and descriptive content. A page's meta tag keywords should also be those that occur most frequently on the page.

Web Site Analysis
A robust analysis (including keyword usage, spiderability, and Robots.txt files and Robots Meta tags) of your website's strengths and possible weaknesses helps you remain search engine friendly. Monitoring your website analytics aka performance will help you get detailed, site-specific results faster.

That's it.
Now REMEMBER not to be discouraged if you don't see instant results. This is not minute rice we are cooking. No, knowing what Tags means you can make sure your website is and remains search engine friendly. Knowing your Tags also helps you build your online brand with maximum impact. So take your time and make subtle adjustments and monitor your website analytics.

This is Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultants and these are my opinions.

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Custom Website Design vs Template Web sites

2009-09-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

Image by matt.searles via Flickr

I like this topic because it helps you decide the pros and cons of two very powerful outlets for brand building.

This article assumes that you are undecided as to which (custom web site design or template website) would serve your needs best and which is better to use for your website.

I'm the perfect person to ask because I actually offer both to my clients at my firm. I'll start off by giving you the Pros and Cons of having a custom website (like a tailor made suit) or a template website (like blueberry muffins) design for your business.

Custom Website Design PROS:

Graphics are unique to your personality
One-of-a-kind Brand Ability
Allow brands the most room for brand difference

Custom Website Design CONS:

Longer production time
Higher Cost
More input required of company

Template Web Site Design PROS:

Fastest production time
DYI (Do it Yourself) normally the main reason for use
Lowest production cost
Stronger Search Engine Optimization Possibilities

Template Website Design CONS:

Limited room for personalization
Don't normally score to high on the uniqueness scale
Limits branding possibilities
Cookie cutter / clone development can limit search engine optimization

Now that you know the PROS and CONS you should also know that this is not true in every situation or for every website solution.

Winner template website design: If you need several websites at one time with limited graphics. Maybe a website where people go to to sign-up to vote. There's no need for these website to be so unique and different... No, you would probably want keep information simple without advertisements, bells or whistles. In this case the Template Website would be a perfect fit.

Winner custom website design: if you are Brownie Lee Whitmill (I made that name up) and you are running for the Governor's Seat in your state... Yes, you might want to be a bit unique, different, and certainly not ware the same suit as you competition. In this case the Custom website design would be best.

This is Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultants and these are my opinions.

How marketing research helps consumer communications.

2009-09-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

Image by halilgokdal via Flickr

Sometimes all you need is a little help.
There have been several opportunities aka experiences in my marketing tenure that groomed and molded me into possibly one of the best marketing consultants in the world. I believe it and Google does too. Search Google for : the best marketing consultants in the world

I'm just saying.
There have been many times that I've not been as well versed on a topic or two. Yes it is true,
I don't know everything despite the kudos above. These opportunities have opened the door for learning and adventure. Most of the time I will need extra research on a topic that concerns achieving the goal of my clients. So I'm not troubled when I sacrifice my personal time to get a better grip on a topic. I remember learning something about how the best lenses in the world are created by Essilor and another time how video would mesh with a large Nikon Pro and Nikon consumer web development projects.

With the computer keyboard in front of you and world at you finger tips, one can find just about anything someone as put there for all to see, read, and hear. I won't count the ability of touch screen as this is like petting a gorilla at the zoo behind the glass. It ain't real. I've a confidential project in development with regard to smell. I'll get back to you on that at a later date. Today you can start a business and start selling or print some business cards and dish them within a week. So we already know about the abilities of finding information there.

Go to the library and research the old frontier (books). Open a book and read more in depth about the company that trumps yours. Learn how they got there and evaluate where they are today.

Visit the book store and find a magazine from another country that talks about your industry and learn how the people in that country respond to industry changes, new products or services.

Read the annual reports of Fortune 500 companies and keep watch on new companies entering the market. Find out how they communicate with consumers and make alliances with other companies and countries.

Consult a professional in your industry or visit a trade show watch how people respond the your competitors. This means if you want to open D'oh Donut Shop, then you need to know about dough, flour, sugar, and service. You need to go around to the world looking at donut brands and how consumer like to eat them. You want to make sure you donuts are not just different but special in a substantial way that people are gonna love.

Take this information and imagine where you company would fit. If it could fit? What would make your company special? Focus for a short time on what others cannot do and why they aren't doing it. It could be that your business model is a perfect fit. You will soon be bumping into a unknown characteristics in your industry.

Again we've reached a point when some of my clients have crash landed. Recoverable, but still a crash with frustrations and anxiety about make the best choice for the big investments. An investment of time and money. Since time cannot be replaced, they come to Oevae for a little help. Because sometimes all you need is a little help. DIY marketing is not dead you know!?

That's it.
The more you know about your industry, from where it came, who is in it, who evolved from it, and who dissolved in it helps you ability to communicate with consumers.

This is Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultants and these are my opinions.

Do you really need business cards today?

2009-09-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

We recently scored a gig for The Wedding Architect who's a outta-this-world wedding planner. I mean this guy has got it. I'm not trying to score kudos because I personally have shared my thoughts, opinions, suggestions, advice and the thoughts of other with him. So the air is clear in that are. Ricardo Tomas aka The Wedding Architect is the b. o. m. b.

Okay, now really!
You're probably thinking, this is supposed to be about business cards.

It is. Hang with me.
My marketing company has landed 3, 4, 5 maybe clients because of Ricardo's branding. Most say his brand is really busy or that the website has some nice Flash programming. And others comment on his business cards. Note: 80 percent of Ricardo's business is generated face to face. As it should in his line of business. This includes referrals from his past clients.

So this means?
The Wedding Architect's business cards are dangerously important to the wedding planner, wedding consultant, wedding professional, and wedding industry as a whole.

If you're thinking about entering the wedding planner industry make sure your business cards have the power to communicate your style and professionalism in less than 5 seconds.

Why five seconds to read a business card?
Think about the last time you had a conversation with someone you found to be interested in what you had to offer or your new business. This is a person that you've never seen before in your life and chances are you may never see this person again.

Now then.
While standing, sitting, lounging... whatever it is you do when you communicate, at some point in time you pass your business card(s) to this person of interest. After you hand your card over, the person receiving the card normally (hopefully) says "thanks" or "okay, great" and then looks at your card for 5 seconds tops. For this reason your business cards need to be the shizznit (great).

Kudos to Snoop Dogg with the smirk and the braids tight for the Shizzolator.

Anyway, that's only part of the solution.
Knowing you can use a business capture attention like a wedding planner might do. But what does it take or where do you get business cards? Well there's FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinko's, formerly, Kinko's), Office Max, Office Depot, Staples, Speedy Print, Overnight Prints, MOO, 4by6, and a host of other business card printers online and probably not far from where you are right now.

What about adding the Wow factor to business card?
Who would have thought in today's world we would still be using business cards? Please. As long as we have magazines or until cell phones are free. The staple business card will be around.

The point here is that you'll most likely need a business cards if your industry uses them (business cards) as a mode in which business can be conducted. However, I doubt that Michael Phelps really needs a business card to promote his business. He's a pretty well know guy. I think he's doing okay in the branding department. But not everyone can have it like an Olympic Gold Medalist with 120 of your faces on isle #12 at the grocery story, ear to ear on the Wheaties box. No. Not everyone has that much exposure.

Take advantage of the business card in a positive way. Not pushy, shrewd but not hurting anyone... as you would normally would do while attending a business conference, at your child's parent teacher meeting, during a business mixer or happy hour, while talking to some random guy in-line at Wal Mart while holding a box of "unmentionables" under your arm.

You know you have a great business card when people complement you about them. Come on, complements are normally for great hair and or a great meal. Receiving a complement on a business card that is only 2 inches by 3.5 inches and just a bit thinner than a time, that's a big deal.

Business cards are very important when used to strategically marketing your brand. When you use your business cards as a method of building your key relationships or praying for that next big referral. Stay consistent and work your plan. And business cards a part of your marketing plan if you communicate with people face to face for business. Leave your business card with your tip at nice restaurant, with people you meet at the gym or yoga studio.

My business card was the most expensive ways I could afford to pay for when I first started Oevae back in 1999. I had a mound of creativity and many different cards for the first few years while I molded the final brand in 2001 and as it is today. In the beginning, I knew that black and white was the least expensive printing so I could cut cost on printing and today it's all the same. Back then I needed some way of holding my prospects attention for more than 5 seconds.

Yeah, I need more than 5 seconds.
When I planned to make Oevae Marketing Consultants, I need to express what our creative marketing was about and tell it quick with something they would taste later. I need my business card to cut through a steak.

So this has lead many new clients and now friends our way. So I may be slightly bias in my opinion. But again, the business card orders keep coming our way. Our clients keep telling me how much people admire their business card and where did the get them printed.

My vote is yes. You really do need business cards in today.

This is Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultants and these are my opinions.

How to add substance and meaning to your logo

2009-09-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

I don't remember a client asking me design a logo that has no meaning or real substance. No, most clients who don't already have a logo, they want a logo that is memorable, unique, and meaningful. There are also a list of questions that I ask to help us move closer to our goals.

It's not mandatory that your logo look like a dog just because you have own a company by the name: Dog Houses Plus. No. You can use a bone or some other characteristic close to your product offerings.

You want to ask yourself what's unique or special about Dog Houses Plus. It could be that the basis for your logo could be hidden in a fine detail. Are your dog houses over sized? Are your dog houses round or made for cold weather locations?

As you brainstorm what you want your logo to stand for think about this really cool example of a logo with meaning.

Just do it.

That's right. You can search the Internet and find out who invented the Nike Swoosh. Before doing that; what is the Nike logo. Is it the imprint of the heel of a runner? Is it the curve you see when looking at the black oval track? The Nike logo really isn't anything you would use on a regular basis... unless.

Stay with me now.

Unless you are a The principal conductor of an orchestra or opera. If you don't already know... the beat of the music is typically indicated with the conductor's right hand, with or without a baton.

It gets better.

The conductors hand traces a shape in the air in every bar (measure) depending on the time signature, indicating each beat with a change from downward to upward motion. The image show is the most common beat pattern, as seen from the conductor's point of view the principal conductor while conducting a beat pattern for 2/4, 2/2, or fast 6/8 time. I've highlighted some keywords that best represent Nike.

Look now at the illustration at the beginning of this article and you can see the Nike logo plain as day, nearly a carbon copy. The number 1 is the starting point and 2 is the ending point or motion from the conductors hand.

There you go.

Now it's your turn to orchestra your thought with regard to your company and the logo you're currently using. Is it meaningful. Does it have a history or a depth? Will it provoke conversations that lead to recognition for your branding efforts and hopefully even more in sales?

History says that the Nike logo represents the wing in the famous statue of the Greek Goddess of victory, Nike, who was the source of inspiration for many great and courageous warriors. So this puts a damper on my opinion for the brands logo. If Nike hasn't figured out that they (Nike) would benefit more from using my description by now... Well.

This is another breaking-point whereby I've earned many clients. Some people (and it perfectly okay) just have other things to do with the brain and trying to design a logo is below the bottom of the list. But, you still want a great logo right? Then think about this article before contacting your logo designer so that you have template or bread crumb that leads you to the logo with substance.

This is Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultants and these are my opinions.

Keywords: The best marketing consultants in the world.

2009-09-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Keywords keywords.
What is all the fuss about these keywords you've heard about?
It's really easy. The same words you would use to find some information on the world wide web.

That's the simple part. Now that you and everyone building with a website knows, we have a problem Houston. If you are ABC Moving, you can bet that some other brand like ABCD Movers will have similar keywords. So you want to direct your attention to the mild differences and keywords that someone might use (type in Google, Yahoo, search engine) to find your company online over the next company offering similar products

Example: Open your browser and go to Google.com. Then type: the best marketing consultants in the world

What did you get? Well I can tell you that my company is there on the first page of Google. Oevae Marketing Consultants is my brand design and creative marketing firm. We consult small business owners to share what is possible within the world of marketing and brand development. It's nice to see how choosing the right keywords for your website can make it or break it for you. So be very critical about the keywords you opt to promote an staple your brand name.

As part of our Search Engine Optimation we also own the domain name TheBestMarketing ConsultantsInTheWorld.com And we will continue to make like Charloette's Web to maintain our brand name recognition.

Think now about your brand and how you want to be found on the Internet. What frame of mind will people looking for your product be in? Will people be in a hurry, looking for the best, trying to dyi, planning, price hunting? Keep thinking and challenging.

Your keywords are the door to your website. Make them fit your brand and build around your brand.

Here's a bone.
Search Google: Wonder Wheel
Read the details of what it is and what it can help you do for your business.

Oevae offers you a really easy to use Search Engine Visiblity Tool that takes the hard work out of finding the right keywords for your website at under $30 a year. It's pretty powerful too, but the biggest bonus is No technical skills needed! Here are a few bullet points from or other website World Wide Web Window:

Bring more traffic to your Web site
Increase customers
Get your site listed on major search engine rankings
Contact Manager (CRM) included FREE

This is Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultants and these are my opinions.

Building Brand Value Using Email

2009-09-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Here's a bone.
The rational behind this post is so simple yet stealthly strong. It helps you see how the email brand you are currently using can make or break your brand recognition.

You may be using MSN HotMail, Yahoo, Gmail, SBCglobal, charther, and the list goes on. And one thing you and my clients want is the ability to tell everybody about YOU and what you can do now.

Let's brush this in the dust pan.
Your name is Lee Ring and you have a business by the name Ring-o-Matic and your email address is Lring@yahoo.com. Say you send out a mass email too all of your friends, telling them about you new product. Sure, your friends will recognize your name and email if you've communicated with then recently. And that's great. You want your friends to open your email and learn all about your product and buy. Com'n be honest. It's not like you're telling them like you would Grandma.

Okay so listen close.
A time will come when you need customers that lead to friends because they love your product and all that stands behinde it or YOU. And you can bet most people that don't know you, won't regcognize your Yahoo email address either.

So what to do?
Make sure your webguy aligns you hosting and email account. Doing this will allow you to send your mass email to prospects and friends as Lring@ring-o-matic.com So you say, yeah that's close to a no brainer. I kinda already know that. The problem is keeping the commitment and making sure that is the primary email you use. It can be difficult to make a major change from one email address to another. And for this there is also a fix. Just make sure your webguy sets your new email to automatically forward your messages to your old email address.

How is brand value increased with email?
Each and every time someone receives email from you they will see your company name time after time, again and again, one after the other, man-o-man! Like little children with toys, we see something and we put it away in our mind. The little simple things. Not the rent or the mortgage. So it's paramount that you capitalize on the opportunity with becoming an offender.
When people think of your brand and grab the keyboard to find your website your email address is the source they can turn to... "what's that email address... I want to go to that ring-o-matic website too see what that was..."

You wouldn't drive a Volkswagen and put Ford labels all over it. No. So why would you have your own company and use the email from the company next door? If you are sporting the wrong labels, don't worry change is working for you in this instance. And my professional consultant opinion - if you are already tight in this category - just stay the course and stay consistant.

This is Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultants and these are my opinions.

How many pages should be in a good website?

2009-09-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

The number of pages in your web site can be a minimum of 1 and there is no maximum that I've heard about; I remember learning about a large number in 3rd grade... called Googleplex?

Now lets get real.
I ask my clients "why are you building a website?" If you think about the question it may seem a bit simple at first... the answer might be that you want to sell some new crayon that tastes like M&M's or a new reversable running shoes? The deeper point we are trying to get to is what will it take to get whomever to do what you want.

Ask yourself a few questions:

Will your product or service take a bunch of explaining to do?
Do you have a product or service fit for everybody or a select few?
Are you wanting to amaze, tease and tickle minds?
Want to give visitors everything you've got?

This list can go on for some time... and you want to explore as many windows of opportunity as possible.

Let's move now.
Before you can decide how many pages should be in a good website, you must have good content. Content that makes visitors do what YOU do when you find something on the Internet. You bookmark the page or send the information on to a friend or family member. If you're at work, you may even share the new find with a co-worker. The website becomes a point of reference for whatever topic you need.

You want your website to be Worthy! Everyone who knows anything about making a website that people really enjoy, know how important it is to have unique and relevent content on a specific topic.

A big mistake. When you create content for your like in hopes to be like some other website you've seen. Do not do this. This is a no-no. That would be your first step away from being unique. Wrong direction. Yes, I hear you... there are companies online that you probably admire and that's a good thing. This means you do have some marbles rolling round upstairs. You may even sell the same product. But taking it to the point/mission of being a copycat doesn't work on the Internet. Oh, you can fake-it for a while, but soon enough the search engines will find out you're a ghost and this means it's back to the drawing board for you. All because the search engines no longer find you unique and more like a Twinkie.

One thing you can do to be unique is be Yourself. I mean you want to be original at a whole new level. Take you imagination on a road trip. Think about the dumbest way you could sell your product. Think of the worst customers you could have. Think what you would do if your product was the only thing on earth you had left. Imagine what your product would be in 20 years. These may seem like hard places to go in your mind, but forcing answers to imaginary situations has brought every good invention I know about.

I must admit this is where many client cave. The whole world of imagination can really get you lost within your own world and looking rediculous. So hire a marketing professional when you need one. Someone to guide you and not take the wheel.

So how many pages you should your website contain... 1 - 2 - 10 - 50? You will soon realize the answer to this question comes to you when you know what you want to say, how you want to say it, and if it will make you famous? Ever since Minute Rice nobody wants to wait for a cotton-picking-thing. With this in mind I suggest that you not waste my time telling me how much better your tires are. I (website visitor) want it now and I want it to be good for me now. If you're an accounting firm... I better feel very confident and please don't puzzle me with a bunch of verbage... Heck, I only want to know how I can spend my money and save more of it at the same time. Can you do that? If you could. I would do business with you in an instant like everyone lined up behind me to do the same thing.

It's time to start thinking.
Do you know who would even want to visit a business like yours on the Internet? Maybe you have a car was. Why would you need a website? Well, maybe you want customers to go to your website to type in a code from the receipt to download special deal... Free Wax anybody?

Yes, your website can be just 1 page. Maybe that page is long... or maybe wide. Who says you have to go to a new page... why not scroll?

The sure thing is you must tell visitors what you are, what you do, and what they can do because of you. This gives you a total of 3 maybe 4 pages. If you think about it... as the Internet is that we use today... when you search lets say Google for a really cool axe called AXEED and it that actually has a heating element in the handle that keep your hands warm? Pretty cool. So you search Google "axe with warm handle" and you get a list of pages on the web about similar topics... never do your really go past the 3 or fourth page if you don't find you AXEED... you will then type in a little different search this time... "hot handle axe brand" ENTER. Again, you have a list of pages... still you don't go past the 3 or fourth page before your changing your keyword search.

Why would your web site be any different. If a visitor hits your website and you can't get the point accross in 3 to 4 pages... Bye-bye.

This is Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultants and these are my opinions.

How many years do you register a domain?

2009-09-11T21:03:00.000-07:00

If you've had your business online since 1999 or before, this topic may not be of great concern to you.
However, I do know that there are many out there who have no idea how long a domain name should be registered. The truth is there's no strict rule that says you must register for more than 1 year. Of course there are deals available that offer your discounts based on the number of years you choose to register. It's likely you will pay less if you register for more years.

In a slow economy, saving money can be a real treat. What you may not know is registering your domain for more years (paying upfront for 10 years rather than only 1 year) can help you secure the respect of the search engines. Why? As I do when consulting my clients; let me tell you a short story to help you understand the logic:

Here goes...
All those with the gift of having two good working eyes have seen small business owners driving around town with magnetic signs on utility trucks, suv's, and all car types really. Now with this in mind, lets say a perfect stranger pulled her (Nene) vehicle next to yours at pump #7... As you stand there pumping your gas, you notice a magnetic sign on Nene's car that reads Financial Planner, Take The Cap Off Your Income! Call Today! Your first thought might be that Nene might have a special strategy for helping you take control of your finances, right? Well this may be true. However there is another question. That question might be: Magnetic signs are not exactly a big commitment. I mean one could keep a stack of magnetic signs in the trunk and change town-to-town or state-to-state. Sounds a bit like selling snake oil.

You want to conduct business with a company that shows a real commitment - a company that appears to be stable. Now before some of you get yor shorts in a knot... I do know that there are perfect reasons and situations where/why a magnetic sign should be used over something better (vehicle wraps, etc.). But what I'm talking about here is the Internet where you can start a company in 5 minutes and desolved in an additional 5 minutes. So the risks are much higer. Unlike Nene whom you can have a brief disccussion and ask for her business card, such options are not available online.

So here it is...
Let's replace Nene with the name of your business and I'm a search engine trying to determine the worthiness of your company. If you're a business with a domain name registered for 1 year. I might assume that you are new to the world wide web and you don't think you'll be around in 366 days. On the other hand you may be a business with a domain name registerd for 5 years. This might tell me that although you could be new to the world wide web, you may have a plan, you may have joint commitments, you may be in a joint venture or you've planned to keep your information available for a descent amount of time - I can index your company in my listing and not worry about house cleaning for at least 5 years.

You may also want to consider registering multiple domain names to:

Keep your competition from registering a domain name that draws customers to them instead of you.
Promote the different products and services you offer.
Drive more traffic to your Web site.
Enjoy more opportunities to market to, and be listed on, search engines.
Create distinct advertising strategies that reach different target markets.
Provide customers more ways to find you when searching the Internet.
Capture common misspellings of your domain name, instead of sending visitors to an error page.
Protect your brand and online identity from those who may have unsavory purposes.

That's it.
You can save money when you register your domain names longer terms and be seen as a company with a commitment to your product, services and existance.

This is Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultants and these are my opinions.

Hosting, Email, and Domain Names Unite

2009-09-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

Everybody likes convenience. No brainer, right? Well this is something you’ve got to remember when managing your business on the Internet too.
Like mobile phone carriers that offer you Text Messaging Plans and Data Packages and more. The company you choose to host your businesses website should also be the company that provides your domain name and email accounts. You wouldn't use T-Mobile as your cell phone carrier then buy your Text Messaging plan from Sprint. So why would you register your domain at Network Solutions and host your website at Yahoo. Internet service providers unlike cell phone carriers, actually allow you to mix Internet solutions with different providers. What you don’t know is there 3 very good reasons why you should start thinking ahead on how you manage your business online.

Why it’s a good idea to bundle your businesses Internet solutions?
I know the answer to this based 10 years of experience at helping clients do everything from creating, registering and retrieving domain names to hosting and managing multiple email accounts. My findings will give you good reasons to pick one safe, reliable and affordable Internet services provider to help you manage your business. You will have solid reasoning to integrate Hosting, Email, and Domain which will enable you to make webmaster like decisions when managing your business online. It's not only smart for your business it could mean tainting your brand.

I’ll tell you upfront that I can be long winded on purpose, which I hope will help you examine my opinions and point of view from a chicken-eye-view and eagle-eye-view.

Okay, here’s the beef:

Let’s start with Passwords.
These little jumbled letters, capital letter, lower case letter, no special symbols, limited numbers and sticky phrases are sometimes remembered and often forgotten, can be a stinker to keep up with and record. Don’t be in a hurry or have a type-o in your password. No, this will most likely get you locked-out of whatever website you are making an attempt to sign into for a few hours or have you dialing technical support listening to music and artificial intelligence. So what do you do? Create fewer passwords. Simply put: fewer passwords equal fewer headaches.

The same goes for managing your Internet services. With multiple Internet service providers you can bet you last dollar that each will have its own uniquely safe password that you are supposed to create according to the rules they provide and never share this with anyone. This mean having your hosting, email, surveys, email marketing, and domain name divided amongst different service providers, you will also have an equal number of passwords to retain. That’s bad news. So remember to use one Internet service provider that with everything you need.

Now let’s talk Email.
You should be using business email to do just that – business. And when it comes to keeping commitments and communicating with your prospects and clients, you better make sure you email and website are properly aligned. If you don’t already know, email is one of the easiest ways for outsiders to interfere with your business operations. So you might choose to separate your hosting provider and email because you think one company offers more safety than the next which might be true? If and when you have a technical problem with your email, hosting or domain; having the same technical support for all three keeps you from dialing three different numbers searching for the answer that fixes your problem.

If you have hosting at provider A and email accounts at provider B, each will have limited ability to track activity from beginning to end. So you are left with trying to balance who’s right and who’s almost right with who doesn’t have a clue which is normally you at The End. The thing here to remember is the benefits of learning the habits, abilities and response time of one Internet Services provider Technical Support Team rather than spending half your day stitching together the suggestions of multiple representatives.

Let’s move on to Domain Names.
Your URL aka Domain Name, aka Website Address is the single most important part of your business online that keeps you in the know. No domain name. No online business. Failure to keep up with renewal dates. Somebody new becomes the new YOU. When you’ve registered your domain name with a different company than your hosting provider or email provider, you have more email notifications to monitor. You have or will most likely acquire your domain name, hosting account, and email provider all on different dates. Rest assured that your renewal notifications will respect these dates. This means you could miss important email and kiss a great domain name goodbye if you miss the renewal date. Limiting your online business solutions to one provider means you get one consistent billing system, using one credit card with a company you trust.

My clients have come from all walks of life and made the best decisions based on the information provided to them. I help my clients integrate Internet services that make it easier for them to manage business online. I’ve made dozens and dozens of phone calls to various companies registrars, hosting plans, and email plans and I have found that it’s imperative that you find 1 secure, reliable, and affordable Internet services provider where you can bundle your needs or move your business to a new company that helps you eliminate the headaches of managing your business online.

This is Gibron T. Williams, Head Honcho at Oevae Marketing Consultant and these are my opinions. You can find oevae marketing consultants on the first page of Google when you search for: the best marketing consultants

Avoid Web Design Disasters

2009-08-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The information you send to the person designing your website can be a great step towards learning more about creating your and your company brand online.

Your designer may have a few questions answered so that they can fine tune a cost and action plan for the design and development of your website; you should secure your website design with a least a single page Web Development Agreement after you have answered any questions.

First, if we agree that most people you may have spoken to about website design and development, generally say it's the number of pages that determines the cost of a website. This is really a novice way of looking at the Internet. 5-7 years ago technology was different and the learning curve or those hesitant to learn has enabled this way of thinking to linger. It's changing as I type this website article to be honest.

Today's technology allows users to have incredible control over website content, thus allowing for interactivity and personalization - ownership of brands they believe in and trust with minimal investment. Today a web site can give you more bang for the buck. What's the big deal today? Today, a website can be 1 page. If your product was an apple, you would use various avenues to get customers to buy. The apples need to be worth the trip. This could include affordable,tasty/appealing, nearby, social chatter, fresh and clean, something for you to share or a great experience. With this in mind, a web designer can usually design and develop your website using a combination of today's most desired features that express your vision of excellence in XZY and show you ways of drawing/pushing traffic to your XYZ website in 1 page or many pages. We all know despite the size of a restaurant, it's the food, the service and the price that determines who returns - on the Internet nobody drives and rarely do we return to a disorganized restaurant, with lousy communication, around people we'd rather stay clear. The same is true for an Internet businesses.

Your custom website today should include website design/development, hosting, email and Google alignment somewhere between $650.00 and $1100.00 at the date of this article and dependent on your timeline, number of topics on your website, the website features and visitor interactivity requirements. The lower amount may include a contact form, bio or about us, services or products, and maybe XYZ No-no's or XYZ Bloopers similar to a FAQ. In old Internet days I would say the website would have 5 pages. The higher cost would include more pages, more user interaction and overall dynamics.

Think about Disney.com vs. Google.com, both have incredible depth and entirely different packaging. Make sure your custom design website is not use a template. Make sure web designer is offering a custom design for the best branding. How often do you like waking into a fine place to eat and somebody has the same top you are wearing, the one it took you 20 minutes to decide to wear? You don't and nobody like waking into a McDoniells when they are looking for a Big Mac. The production time could be 2 weeks for a small micro website or 45-60 days for the high end site. This would allow you time to share the layout and design with your business partners or peers during the whole Internet business experience.

Summary
If you have defined the number of topics you feel your website should cover and how you want visitors to communicate with you from the website, please explain this in detail to your web designer. In fact, this is really the person you want to convey your deepest aspirations and visions of your website. Sometimes with too many people involved details get lost or skewed. Also, knowing your target date for completion will help the web design firm define their production timeline which should include benchmarks. Make certain you receive a copy. One of my strategic marketing friends Vincent Jackson (mktgmoves.com) with whom I've partnered on several project calls it a Brief. I relish in my close network of marketeers for insight and feedback and bounce ideas. Oy Vey!

If you need any question answered or comments explained in more detail, please call me or comment on this article. It's normal that you allow a design agency or marketing firm like Oevae.com 1 or 2 days to produce your Web Development Agreement which should be easy to understand and in language you truly understand. Keep a signed a copy with your design company's signature to help secure your investment and avoid a disaster.